Model was in shape of his life when his sore throat turned out to be leukemia

A model and gym enthusiast went from working out every day to lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life after his shocking cancer diagnosis.

When William Yank’s throat started feeling sore in June 2018, he visited an urgent care clinic, where doctors diagnosed him with mononucleosis.

But, after a few days, the 21-year-old was getting worse and his roommate urged him to go the hospital for a second opinion.

Doctors told him that not only was he in organ failure, but that he also had leukemia, a type of blood cancer. 

Yank, from Indianapolis, Indiana, was confined to a hospital bed for a month as his body fought to recover before he began chemotherapy.

The videographer is now cancer-free and says the diagnosis was shocking to him because he believed he lowered his chances of getting the deadly disease by eating healthily and exercising daily.

After a few days, Yank's condition was getting worse, so his college roommate urged him to go to the hospital. Pictured: Yank during a modeling shoot

William Yank, 21 (left and right), from Indianapolis, Indiana, started having a sore throat in June 2018 and went to urgent care, where he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. After a few days, his condition was getting worse, so his college roommate urged him to go to the hospital

Doctors diagnosed Yank (pictured) with a septic shock, when sepsis leads to deadly low blood pressure, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Doctors diagnosed Yank (pictured) with a septic shock, when sepsis leads to deadly low blood pressure, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

‘When I was in school, I was the tall skinny kid because I was and still am really tall, which made putting on muscle difficult,’ Yank said.

But when he entered college, he began exercising daily and would wake up at 5am to go to the gym before attending classes. 

In 2016, photographers reached out to him via social media and asked if he would be interested in modeling shoots.  

‘It quickly turned into something I thoroughly enjoyed, and it presented me with a casting opportunity with an agency in Indiana,’ Yank said. ‘Ultimately, I signed and am still modelling for them now.’

Yank’s throat was sore for two days before he visited an urgent care clinic in June 2018 and he was diagnosed with mononucleosis.

But, after a couple of days, Yank’s college roommate saw that his condition was worsening so he urged him to go to Johns Hopkins Hospital.

It was there that doctors diagnosed him with septic shock, which occurs when sepsis leads to life-threatening low blood pressure. 

After running a few more tests, Yank was told he also had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 

‘Upon hearing the doctor’s diagnosis, I was in disbelief. There was no way this was true,’ Yank said.

‘I was in amazing health. I worked out all the time, ate well, took my vitamins, I couldn’t get sick. I had treated my body like a temple for the past four years. 

‘How could everything I had worked for to ensure I remained in good health, suddenly fail me?’

ALL is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature white blood cells called lymphocytes.

ALL is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature white blood cells called lymphocytes. Pictured: Yank being visited in the hospital

ALL is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature white blood cells called lymphocytes. Pictured: Yank being visited in the hospital 

Yank (pictured, in the hospital was given antibiotics to fight the sepsis infection and fluids to rehydrate

After two weeks, Yank (pictured, in the hospital) had to learn to walk again

Yank (in the hospital, left and right) was given antibiotics to fight the sepsis infection and fluids to rehydrate. After two weeks, he had to learn to walk again

They crowd out normal white blood cells, causing the body to have a harder time fighting infections.

Symptoms include shortness of breath, easy bruising, frequent bleeding and chronic infections.  

‘Acute’ means the disease as a chance of quickly spreading throughout the body meaning that early treatment is vital, including chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. 

The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 6,000 adults will be diagnosed with ALL in 2019 and about 1,500 will die from it.

Yank says he has little memory about what happened during his first week in the hospital as he was given antibiotics to fight the sepsis infection and fluids to rehydrate.  

After two weeks, he had to learn to walk again. Yank stayed at Johns Hopkins for a month before he returned home. 

When he did, doctors at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health immediately began chemotherapy. 

‘Losing my hair was a struggle of course,’ Yank admitted. ‘Being a model prior, the job is based on physical image. Watching the outside of my body morph and change with the treatment was a definite shock.’

In December, Yank underwent CAR-T cell therapy, which is when a patient’s T cells – a type of immune system cells – are genetically modified to attack cancer cells.

After a month, he returned home and began chemotherapy at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. Pictured: In February 2019, Yank gave a Tedx speech about journey from diagnosis to recovery

After a month, he returned home and began chemotherapy at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. Pictured: In February 2019, Yank gave a Tedx speech about journey from diagnosis to recovery

Yank (pictured, left, with a friend) also underwent CAR-T cell therapy, which is when a patient's T cells are genetically modified to attack cancer cells. In January 2019, he was officially declared to be in remission

Yank (pictured, left, with a friend) also underwent CAR-T cell therapy, which is when a patient’s T cells are genetically modified to attack cancer cells. In January 2019, he was officially declared to be in remission

The next month, January 2019, Yank was officially declared to be in remission. But he’s not out of the woods yet. 

Every month he has an intravenous immunoglobulin infusion, which is a treatment made from donated blood that contains healthy antibodies to block any harmful ones from doing damage.  

Additionally, every three months, Yank needs to return to Johns Hopkins for a bone marrow test. 

Yank said he hopes his experience can inspire others going through a similar struggle and says he’s learned to not take so much for granted.

‘Recovery was long and slow, and it required a lot of patience. The most difficult element was having to be patient and watching everyone around me live their lives while I was unable,’ he said.

‘But the experience has shown me how to face trauma and hardship, as well as how to love. It’s so important to value your own time and the life you have.’

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